A communication system provides for the communication of data between two or more locations. Communication of data is required to effectuate many different types of communication services. The needs and demands for the effectuation of such communication services is an endemic part of modern society.
A communication system includes, at a minimum, a first communication station, and a second communication station connected by way of a communication channel. At least one of the communication stations forms a sending station, and another of the communication stations forms a receiving station. Data is communicated by the sending station upon the communication channel to be detected and received by the receiving station. Data is first converted, at the sending station, into a form to permit its communication upon the communication channel. And, the receiving station works in reverse manner to recover the informational content of the data communicated thereto.
A radio communication system is a type of communication system in which the communication channels used therein are defined upon radio links extending between the communication stations. A radio link is defined upon a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. In contrast, wire line communication systems generally require a fixed connection, i.e., a wire line connection, between communication stations upon which to form communication channels to permit the communication of data there between.
Radio communication systems provide various advantages when compared to their wire line counterparts. The physical infrastructure of a radio communication system is generally relatively less costly to install than that of a corresponding wire line communication system. Installation and deployment costs, therefore, of a radio communication system are generally less than those of corresponding wire line communication systems. And, a radio communication system is amenable for implementation as a mobile communication system in which communication mobility is provided in the form of a mobile radio communication system.
A cellular communication system is a type of mobile radio communication system. Cellular communication systems have been developed and deployed to encompass many populated portions of the world. Radio communications are effectuated during operation of the cellular communication system between a network part of the communication system and mobile stations that are positionable in a geographical area encompassed by a cellular communication system.
The network part of the cellular communication system includes base transceiver stations that are installed at spaced-apart locations throughout the geographical area to be encompassed by the system. Each base transceiver station defines a cell, which is a geographic subportion of the area encompassed by the communication system. The base transceiver stations are connected through additional elements of the network to an external network, such as a PSTN (Public Switch Telephonic Network) or the Internet.
When a mobile station is within a cell defined by a particular radio base station, communications by, and to, the mobile station are generally effectuated with the radio base station that defines the cell. Due to the inherent mobility of the mobile station, however, the mobile station might travel out of the cell defined by a first radio base station and into a cell defined by another radio base station. Handovers of communications are effectuated to permit continued communications with the mobile station.
Cellular communication systems, as well as various other communication systems, are constructed to comply with operating parameters set forth in an appropriate operating specification. Operating specifications are promulgated by standard setting bodies, such as the EIA/TIA. Which respect to cellular communication systems, various operating specifications have been promulgated. Operating specifications have been promulgated relating to different communication technology types, as well as to successive generations of systems that take advantage of advancement in communication technologies as they become available. Corresponding, successive generations of cellular communication networks have been installed throughout wide areas to permit telephonic and communications to be effectuated there through.
Cellular communication systems that were first implemented are generally referred to as being first generation systems. First generation systems generally utilize analog communication techniques. Second generation cellular communication systems generally utilize digital communication techniques. Third generation cellular communication systems are undergoing standardization procedures and initial deployments. And, successor-generation systems are also under development. Third generation, and successor generation, systems also utilize digital communication techniques and provide for data communications at higher data rates.
The operating parameters are of an exemplary third generation communication system is set forth in an operating specification referred to as the CDMA 2000 operating specification. The operating parameters set forth in the CDMA 2000 operating specification provides for packet base data communication services. The data communication services are effectuable at high data rates.
A first data communication scheme provided for CDMA 2000compliant communication systems is referred to as 1xRTT. Data formatted pursuant to the operating parameters defined pursuant to the 1xRTT communication scheme defines a frame size, frame duration, data rate, shared/dedicated channels of communications, and other operating parameters unique thereto.
Another data communication scheme provided for CDMA 2000compliant communication systems is referred to as 1xEV-DV. Data formatting pursuant to the operating parameters defined pursuant to the 1xEV-DV communication scheme also define frame sizes, frame durations, data rates, and other operating parameters unique thereto. And in particular, some of the operating parameters of the 1xEV-DV scheme differ with corresponding parameters of the 1xRTT scheme. Modification of existing data service options in a system that provides for 1 xRTT data communications are necessary in order to support 1xEV-DV.
The radio link protocol (RLP) is an enabling protocol for CDMA 2000 data services and applications. The RLP, however, exhibits various inherent limitations when the underlying technology is evolved towards CDMA 2000 I xEV-DV data communications. The limitations of RLP are, in significant part, due to the evolution of the physical layer advancement. For example, the physical layer frame length is changed in 1xEV-DV. A shared, so-called “fat a pipe” packet data channel is utilized in 1xEV-DV. Multiplexing of high-speed data and other controlling information into the shared channel is possible in 1xEV-DV. The 1xEV-DV communication scheme defines a forward packet data channel (F-PDCH). The data frame length of data communicated pursuant to 1xEV-DV is, selectably, 1, 2, or 4 times 1.25 ms slots.
In contrast, prior to the inclusion, i.e., definition, of the F-PDCH, the frame size used at the physical layer is a unit of N×20 ms, N=1, 2, or 4.
Comparison of the possible frame sizes indicates that a finer granularity of physical layer time interval is specified in the 1xEV-DV communication scheme. This impacts the upper layer scheduling function and, also, the RLP behavior at communication stations, i.e., the mobile station and the base station, of a communication system that provides for such high-speed data services.
The current CDMA 2000 1xRTT RLP frame format is defined with the assumption that RLP frames are transmitted only on fundicated (fundamental) or supplemental channels. These channels are 20 ms frame basis channels. RLP is a connection-oriented, and NAK (Negative Acknowledgement)-based data delivery protocol. In the existing RLP 3 definition, data transfer procedure is based upon the 20 ms time period for transmitting and receiving procedures to accommodate the 20 ms frame channel structure. In other words, once every 20 milliseconds, the transmitting or receiving RLP performs RLP data frame transmission or receiving, or processing, control frames in a synchronous manner. Additionally, all RLP timing and timer related functions are also 20 ms base, e.g., NAK processing and its associated timer, idle frame transmission and it associated time etc., are all based upon the 20 ms time interval. The inherent association between the existing CDMA 2000 1xRTT RLP specification and the 20 ms timing reference creates problems with optimal functioning of CDMA 2000 1xEV-DV communications.
Accordingly, various issues emerge with respect to the RLP due to the finer granularity, i.e., the 1.25 ms physical layer length of 1xEV-DV.
If a manner could be provided by which to provide for compatibility, at the RLP layer, between the separate communication schemes that exhibit the separate timing references, improved communication performance of 1xEV-DV data communications would be possible.
It is in light of this background information related to data communications in a cellular communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.